Onyx Cigars & More

My birthday was last week and my wonderful wife gave me the best present ever.  I am a long time smoker and she gave me Makers Mark Cigars. These are made with premium Maker’s Mark bourbon and are aged for around 5-6 years, then bottled only when the expert tasters agree that it is ready. They are made with a long leaf Cuban Seed grown in the Dominican Republic, and the full cigar is aromatically seasoned with Maker’s Mark bourbon for a subtle intriguing taste that will gently linger on your palate just like the Bourbon. I enjoy scotch or bourbon while smoking cigars, so this is the perfect pairing.  They are smooth and delicious, not overpowering.  My wife really picked a good one this year.  She usually gets me cigars on my birthday, but I don’t remember ever enjoying any as much as I have enjoyed these.  I still have a few left. I am keeping those for a special occasion. I think for next years present, I may ask my wife to take me down to Kentucky for a tour of the distiller. That sounds like it would be interesting to learn about, but I will have to find out if they talk about the cigars on their tour.  I wouldn’t mind just finding out about the whiskey, but since I am an avid cigar smoker and love the Makers Mark Cigars, it seems like it would be a waste to go all the way down there and find out that I can’t get cigars there.  That is something I will need to look into.

I have smoked Macanudo Cigars for years now, and read that they originated in Jamaica. That appeared bizarre becauce I haven’t heard much about Jamaican tobacco. Reputedly, Cuban immigrants brought tobacco seeds to Jamaica, as they actually did each where else they moved to. But because of hurricanes, labor issues and war, it’s been a tough road for the Jamaican tobacco plant. Macanudo, which originated in Jamaica is now home made by General Cigar Company, found in Connecticut. They create quality, high end, premium cigars, including Macanudo. They use their own Connecticut shade wrappers, and various tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Africa for the filler and binder. These are my favorite cigars for many reasons, I like the sweet but spicy flavour. They’re strong, though not overwhelming. I can smoke once per day and be satisfied. There are just a few known Jamaican cigars around nowadays, and they seem tough to come by. If the others taste as well as a Macanudo, I may switch, but for now I’m sticking to what I love.